Thursday, September 15, 2016

Blair Witch Review (2016)

Making a sequel to the found footage horror film “ The Blair
Witch Project” is daunting not only because sequels to iconic, highly
influential movies tend to blow but also because the original “Blair Witch”
came out (in 1999) at a perfect time. It came out at a time when the “found
footage horror” style was fresh and innovative; there were people who thought
“The Blair Witch Project” was real and there were really people missing in the
woods due to a creepy Witch. Now, that’s
scary, and kind of mind boggling. This freshness added an additional layer of
realism, complimenting the film’s micro budget less-is-more approach to horror.

Now, 17 years later years later we have the sequel “Blair
Witch”—directed by up and comer Adam Wingard and written by Simon Barrett—and
it’s also a found footage horror movie. The problem is that now the found
footage horror style is a gimmick and it’s played out. And in “Blair Witch,”
Wingard doesn’t really challenge this stale, limited format in any substantial
way. Maybe it’s unfair to expect him to do so but this film could have been
done so easily without that gimmick. In fact it would have been a good way to
immediately distinguish it from the original.

However, the found footage issue speaks to the larger issue
“Blair Witch” faces, which is that it doesn’t cover much new ground or feel
very innovative. This is a shame considering the filmmakers. Wingard and
Barrett’s last film “The Guest” was an audacious, gleeful, utterly unpredictable
genre amalgamation. By contrast, “Blair Witch” feels more like a safe studio
made feature trying to cash in on both the “Blair Witch” name and the found
footage gimmick. It’s not a bad movie by any means; there are some fun and tense
sequences throughout but overall it feels too familiar both in the context of
the original and the horror genre.

The set up is intriguing. We’re introduced to brand new
generation of youngins eager to explore those creepy Maryland woods with
cameras in hand. Technology is more advanced this time around, meaning our
witch hunters have GPS’s and a lot more
cameras, including mini ones that go in your ear and a drone. The filmmaker is
Lisa (Callie Hernandez) who’s making a documentary about her friend James, (James
Allen McCune) who’s older sister Heather disappeared during the events of the
first film. He believes he’s discovered footage of her whereabouts and wants to
investigate.

This brother-sister relationship provides what should be a
compelling personal bridge connecting both films. Pity that Wingard and Barrett
neglect it. In the end it’s simply a way to get James, Lisa and their friends
out to the woods. The filmmakers don’t explore James’ bond with his sister or
his fascination/obsession with finding out what happened to her in any depth.
In fact When they reach the woods the relationship angle is abandoned (and isn’t
brought up again till the end) and we mostly get a rehash of the first film,
with our group getting lost and experiencing the same old thrills— mysterious
snapping branches, those creepy figures made of twigs etc. —with more camera
angles. Some of these redundant thrills work and some fall flat but it’s
disappointing that the James-Heather relationship is so undercooked; it should
be the emotional core. Instead, it feels like an after thought.

To their credit, Wingard and Barrett do find a way to expand
on the “Blair Witch” mythology and add dimension to “the woods” themselves
during the last half hour. Without spoiling anything they provide a rather
trippy explanation for why The Witch is so darn good at making campers
disappear. But in the end it’s not enough. By and large, the narrative still
progress the way you expect them to and the film settles for the typical found
footage horror movie ending; an ending that used to be shocking but now feels
like a cop out. “Blair Witch” ends with an underwhelming thud.

Speaking of the last half hour, all hell breaks lose. It’s a
relentless, schizophrenic, beefed up version of the “Blair Witch Project”
finale with our Witch hunters running for their lives. There’s more dirt, blood
and heavy wheezing, along with furious rainstorms and tents flying around everywhere.
This section yields some genuinely unsettling moments (a claustrophobic
sequence in a tunnel) but it can also feel a little excessive at
times—hysterical and over the top rather than terrifying. It sort of makes you
yearn for the subtlety and simplicity of the original.

Yet, “Blair Witch” is still a decent movie and I can see an
enthusiastic public response. Although I don’t see this one being remembered at
years end, let alone years from now. For me, while I was mildly entertained, I expected
more from Wingard and Barrett.